Pokemon: The Final Challenge Part 1
by yv31t01
Summary: After 20 years, the title of the World Champion is up for grabs. But a devastating defeat and a haunting past plagues Ash. An encounter with a mysterious stranger will revive his passion for pokemon. But the path to becoming a pokemon master is riddled with new challenges and dangers. Can Ash make peace with his past and rise to the challenge?
1. Author's Note

SYNOPSIS

* * *

Every time the giant green rock has appeared on the face of the earth, it has left great destruction in its wake. It is ancient, as old as the universe itself and came to earth hidden inside an asteroid thousands of years ago. A source of primal energy, the energy of the original one himself, it can grant any creature great powers. However power always tends to corrupt and its power corrupts absolutely. It has already revealed it's destructive prowess in the seas of Hoenn and in the great catastrophe it wrecked upon Kalos but it's appetite is not sated yet. It yearns for more. Deep inside the deepest caverns of the pokemon world, it impatiently awaits for its next patron. Soon one will rise who will unleash the ancient monolith's true power upon this planet and bring about the very end of the pokemon world as we know it.

Ignorant of the approaching storm, the pokemon world is blissfully celebrating the return of the World Championship. It's an inter-regional tournament held every fifteen years to choose a candidate who will challenge the Champion for his crown. Over the course of next twelve months, two hundred of the best pokemon trainers from the six regions and along with their pokemon will pit their strength and skills against each other for their chance at a lifetime of glory and fame. For some it is an opportunity for a new a beginning while for others, a chance at redemption. And there are others still, who above all seek the power to control the lives of humans and pokemon.

As the world grapples with the newly found powers of the mysterious mega evolution, nefarious forces are already gathering to influence the outcome of this great event and seize the Champion's throne for themselves. Preparations have been made and the beagle has been sounded. Amid the dark clouds of uncertainty and danger, the greatest event of the pokemon world is about to begin.


	2. Prologue: Part 1

**(A/N): This chapter has not changed much. Only a few more details have been added.**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE PART1**

* * *

 **1 year before …**

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome! The moment you have been waiting for is finally here! The match to end all pokemon matches! The Indigo League finals!" The commentator's voice boomed across the entire stadium amid the pandemonium of the cheering crowd. "To say that this has been one of the most exciting editions of the Indigo League will be an understatement. We have witnessed the fall of some of the biggest names in Kanto pokemon battle scene. And we have also seen some of the most unexpected participants rise to the meet the most formidable of challenges. And now, hold onto your seats, as I take you through the most exciting pokemon battle of the year. … "

Sunlight was streaming into the locker room through a skylight just below the ceiling, illuminating tendrils of dust in its path. Along with it came the rousing voice of the host and the chatter of hundreds of fans eagerly waiting for the match to begin. The room itself was longer in length than in width with walls and ceiling painted in white and a white tiled floor. A row of narrow steel cupboards, their faded royal blue paint chipped in places to expose the rusted metal underneath, were fitted along skylight wall covering half of its height and a column of wooden benches were fixed to floor in front of them. The rest of room was bare leaving a wide empty space illuminated by a rectangular patch of light coming from the skylight. Ash stood in the center of this patch surrounded by his pokemon team - Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, Infernape, Snorlax and Swellow. His right hand was extended in front of him, curled in a fist and his maroon eyes were sparkling in excitement.

"Guys, this is it. The moment we have worked so hard for. The Indigo League finals." His voice resonated with confidence and determination. "I know Giselle is a tough opponent. We may not have the power of mega evolution on our side like her but that won't stop us from winning today! We more than make up for it with our skill, passion and spirit."

His pokemon team cheered in unison.

"Today we are going to show the world there is more to pokemon than mega evolution. So what do you say? Let's go win this!"

This time the cheer was louder.

 _Yes!_ Ash thought confidently as he surveyed the fire in his team's eyes. _They are ready! I'm ready! This time there is nothing that is going to stop me from winning the league._

He extended his arm in front of him and his team joined him in the group formation.

"To victory!" He shouted raising his hand towards the ceiling.

"Pika!"

"Infernape!"

"Sceptile!"

"Swellow!"

"Snorlax!"

"Raaawrrrr!"

Ash returned everyone, except Pikachu, to their pokeballs. He was clasping the balls back on his belt when someone knocked on the door.

"Ash! Are you ready? It's time." A voice called from other side.

"Yes, I'm coming." Ash called back. He turned to look at Pikachu. "What do you say buddy? Are you ready to win today?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu pumped his tiny little biceps and then climbed up on Ash's shoulders.

Ash grinned and ruffled its head before opening the door and setting off to meet his final challenge.

The atmosphere in the stadium was pulsating with excitement and anticipation. Never had there been a pokemon match which had garnered so much attention. It was more than a match between two trainers vying for the title of Indigo League Champion. It was a true battle of principles. This was the first time mega evolution had been allowed in the Indigo League Championship and from the very start, it had divided both the participants and the fans into opposing factions - one who swore by mega evolution's power and the other who despised it. The proponents of mega evolution argued it was the way to unlock a pokemon's true potential. Those against it claimed it was just another artificial way to power up pokemon and unfair to those whose pokemon couldn't mega evolve. Hoping to bank on the fierce rivalry, the media had transformed the championship into a war between mega evolution and the traditional ways of pokemon training. And today was to be its grand finale!

Media reporters from all over of the world crowded the entire circumference of the arena, their metallic black equipment glistening in the sun. Misty waited anxiously in the stands for Ash to appear.

"I hope Ash keeps his cool today," she said worriedly, looking over at Tracy sitting next to her. "That Giselle may be an entitled little princess but she is no slouch when it comes to battling."

"Don't worry! I'm sure Ash knows what is at stake. He will be fine," Tracy replied.

But Misty wasn't convinced. From the moment they had arrived at the Indigo Plateau, they had gotten caught in the ensuing feud. Ash, being Ash, had jumped at the opportunity to voice his opinion and had soon become the de facto spokesperson for the 'anti - mega evolution' group. After that it had been a string of interviews before and after every match. Every time he won, media would call it a triumph of the traditional over the modern, adding more fuel to the fire. Of course not all his wins had been about skills. Who would have thought mega Garchomp would go nuts right in the middle of a battle? With a bit of luck, he had managed to reach the finals. But luck can only take you so far.

It was not that Misty disagreed with Ash. She herself had doubts about mega evolution. The whole concept seemed a little biased to her, not to mention dangerous. She had seen many trainers mega evolve their pokemon only to watch the pokemon lose control and run havoc. But with the new 'mega gear' technology, it was being said that it was easier to control any pokemon once they mega evolved. And if the pokemon league officials believed it was safe enough to be allowed in the league battles, who was she to complain. Misty was more concerned about all the attention Ash was getting for all the wrong reasons.

Suddenly a huge cheer rose from the crowd. Misty looked down to see Ash making his way across the battlefield with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, waving his hands at the spectators.

 _Well at least he is on time today!_

Ash had nearly missed his semi-final match because of an interview!

"Good! He looks relaxed and confident," said Tracy.

"Overconfident if you ask me." Misty frowned crossing her arms. "I hope he keeps his head out of the clouds and in the battle."

"Why Misty?! You seem much more nervous than Ash." Tracy chided her.

Misty ignored him. Of course she was nervous. She had been with Ash the first time he had battled at the Indigo Plateau. She had seen him grow from a hot-headed clueless young boy into a seasoned and experienced trainer. She had not been with him through all his journeys but she had followed every one of his pokemon league matches, his incredible wins and his devastating losses. And after seven years, she was here again, watching him battle in the finals. She knew how disappointing the loss in the finals at the Kalos League last year had been for Ash even though he pretended otherwise. And she knew how hard he had trained this year. Ash was in the best shape he had ever been in and he could finally get the win that had eluded him for so long.

 _Mmph!_ She fumed in frustration. _After all that, he had to go and get himself embroiled in this made up media charade. If only he would listen to me and let his Charizard or even Sceptile mega evolve. It was only the novice trainers who had trouble with mega evolution._

Ash had trained with Charizard and Sceptile for so long, she knew he wouldn't have much trouble controlling them even without using the mega gear technology.

 _But instead, he has to go and be the hero of the unrepresented and the wronged. Doesn't he realize that to be a winner, you have to be at least a little bit selfish. If he loses today, I'm going to kill him!_

Misty was rudely roused from her thoughts by the sound of an even bigger roar from the crowd. Gisele was entering the arena now and the support for her in the stadium was obvious. Boys were falling over each other to get a look at her as she smiled, waved and sashayed her way to her place in the battle field. Even Tracy was having a hard time controlling his feelings. Of course, the question of whether the support was for her skills as a trainer or her looks was up for grabs.

Misty rolled her eyes. _Boys can be so simple minded._

As Giselle crossed the field towards her position in the battle field, the camera panned down to her right wrist (not without receiving a few groans from the crowd). There it was, the mega gear. It was a metallic bracelet, black in color with steel-blue flame-shaped artwork painted across the surface of its ring. Attached to the top of the ring was a thick sheet of metal in shape of a rotated square with the same pattern as the ring. The metal sheet was enclosed in a glass cover and through that glass, you could see a small translucent sphere embedded at its center. The sphere seemed to be hollow inside with a black helix shaped carving in the middle. The rest of the space inside the sphere was filled with a shimmering substance that seemed to be radiating a million different colors all at once. The sphere caught the light of the sun and glistened.

 _Mega gear!_ Misty thought with both wonder and a little apprehension. _I wonder when will her Mega Charizard show up._

Once both the trainers had taken their places, it was time to begin. Ash lost the toss and called out his pokemon first - Sceptile.

 _Good call_ , Misty thought proudly. _Sceptile is one of his strongest team member, with both incredible speed and power. Choosing Sceptile as the first pokemon was an excellent strategy for putting pressure on the opponent and getting an early upper hand._

Then Giselle face showed up on the huge LED screens that were hanging from the roof all around the stadium. She seemed completely unperturbed and was even smiling, as if she had expected Ash's choice.

"Charizard! I choose you," she shouted throwing her pokeball in the air.

Misty gasped. _Charizard from the start?!_

In all her matches till now, Giselle had hardly battled with her Charizard, keeping it in reserve only in case of an emergencies. In fact, her quarter-final match had been the first time her Charizard had made an appearance in the battlefield during the whole tournament. It had appeared as her last pokemon and then had gone on to mega evolve and defeat three of the opponent's pokemon in a single sweep. She had followed the same strategy during her semi-final match and Misty had expected her to do the same this time too.

 _I wonder what her strategy is,_ Misty thought. _She couldn't possibly believe she could win the whole match against Ash just using her Charizard. That was too much for any pokemon, mega-evolution or not._

"We will find out soon enough," Tracy said.

"Huh?" Misty asked in confusion. She hadn't realised she had spoken out loud.

"Her strategy," Tracy replied. "It is odd for her to use her most powerful pokemon right from the start. I think she wants to stop Ash from gaining an early upper hand. Which means she is scared that even her Charizard might not be enough to get her a win. On the other hand, she might have some other surprises up her sleeve too. She is quite adept at throwing surprises at her opponents in middle of battle."

"Other surprises?" Misty didn't like the sound of that.

The referee enquired if both trainers were ready and then raised the red and green flags in his hands to begin the match.

* * *

Giovanni stared outside the glass wall of his office absently, tapping his fingers on his desk.

 _Late again! That Nanba had better have some good news this time or else!_

He had already invested too much of his money in this new plan. And without any concrete results, he was running out of both funds and patience.

Suddenly his intercom beeped to life. "Satellite video call from the Andes, sir." A woman's voice informed him from the other side.

"About time! Patch it through," he barked impatiently.

The glass wall flickered to life, turning into a giant LED screen. Giovanni tapped the desk furiously as he waited for the connection to go through.

"Good morning Mr. Giovanni" Professor Nanba's red bushy face appeared on the screen, his bald head glistening. He looked excited.

"You better have something for me Nanba," Giovanni warned him. "Your team has been there for over a year now. I'm running out of patience."

"We have found it sir!" Cassidy squeezed into the frame, throwing Nanba off. "Sorry, Professor Jumba."

"It's Nanba!" Nanba screeched in indignation, as he picked himself up from the ground. "And I found it." He tried to push Cassidy aside.

"Stop your quibbling and show me what you found," Giovanni scolded them acidly.

"Butch, bring that PCU here," Nanba ordered someone off the screen.

The green haired boy promptly appeared, holding a container. The container was cubical in shape with a small steel cube at the top. The walls of the container were made of a translucent planes of light fields which shimmered in myriad of different colors. Inside, Giovanni could see the silhouette of a small figure.

Giovanni's heart skipped a bit. _Could it be?_ "Bring it closer, so that I can look at it properly," he commanded.

Butch moved the container closer to the camera. Giovanni could clearly make out the figure now.

 _It is! They have finally found it! After all these, years!_

The figure looked terrified and exhausted. Giovanni's lips curved into a cruel smile.

 _Hello, my precious little friend! After all these years, I have found you at last!_ He turned to Nanba. "Good! Now report back to the headquarters at once. We have no time to waste. Phase two of our plan must begin immediately."

"But sir, there is a problem," Cassidy interjected.

"Problem?! What kind of problem?"

"Well you see, it wasn't alone. We found someone else with it," Butch chimed in.

"Who?"

"Well …," Cassidy hesitated. "I think you should see for yourself."

She moved the camera towards an unconscious figure sprawled on her back on the ground. It was an old women. Long matted gray hair obscured her face and her clothes were torn and falling apart. Giovanni recognized the filthy uniform. It was the Team Rocket's special agent uniform from his mother's time. He had hated that uniform. That was one of the first things he had changed when he had taken over the operations.

"Move her hair, so that I can see her face clearly," he ordered, feeling slightly anxious now.

Butch bent down and moved the hair off the old woman's face. He recognized that face. It was a face from his past. The face was old and lined with wrinkles now but he had no doubt about her identity.

"How long has she been like this?" The Team Rocket boss asked softly.

"Ever since we found her. She hasn't moved a muscle and we are unable to wake her up," Cassidy replied.

"It seems like she is in some sort of a coma," Nanba added.

"Do we know what is the cause?" Giovanni asked as his eyes surveyed the unconscious woman's face.

"Not yet," said Nanba.

"What do you want us to do with her boss?" Butch asked.

"Bring her with you." Giovanni answered, still staring at the face. "And make sure you treat her gently. She is … important!"

"Yes sir!" The three replied in unison. "We will see you soon!"

The transmission cut off and the screen turned back to into transparent glass. But Giovanni was having a hard time catching his breath. He couldn't believe it, she was still alive. He had thought she had died. Memories from his childhood came swirling back, memories he had bottled up and forgotten.

 _"Stop crying like a baby!"_

 _"But Madame Boss, he is just a child."_

 _"Don't tell me how to raise my child! He is grown up enough to take care of himself. I will not have a weakling like him for a son!"_

 _"But Madame, he is hurt!"_

 _"And he deserves it. Letting himself get beaten up by common street thugs. Do you know what that will do to my reputation if people found out? I will be a laughing stock. Go get him cleaned up."_

She was the only one who ever understood him, cared for him. She had been more of a mother to him than his own mother ever had been. And then, suddenly out of blue, she had disappeared.

"Out on an important mission." His mother had told him. "Grow up! Boys your age don't need a nanny."

But he knew his mother had sent her away purposefully just like she had bereft him from everything he had ever loved. For a long time, he had held onto the hope that she would return but when she had been announced MIA he had finally given up.

 _"You are weak and pathetic! I'm ashamed to have you as my son!"_ Last words his mother had said to him even as she lay dying in her bed. _"Team Rocket will never be yours!"_

Giovanni clenched his fists so tight his knuckles started to whiten. Twenty years dead and still his mother wouldn't leave him in peace.

He suddenly felt the soft velvety touch of fur on his hand. Persian had wandered back in. It was rubbing its face on his fist, purring loudly. Giovanni calmed down, unclenching and looked at his pokemon. Persian and him had been together since he had been a little boy and it was just a Meowth cub. It had been the only thing he had been allowed to keep from his childhood. And the only thing that had actually kept him sane in the insanity that had been his world back then.

"You always know just how to make me feel better, don't you old friend," he said kindly. Persian replied with another loud pur. Giovanni ruffled it's head lovingly and it settled beside his chair, licking its paws.

 _Who cares what my mother had said? I am a much stronger person now, much stronger than she had ever been. I have achieved what she could never achieve in her lifetime. I have expanded Team Rocket's operations to each and every corner of the world. I have made it into the most profitable outfit in the whole of Kanto._

His gaze fell back to scenery beyond the glass walls of his office. A barren mountainous canyon lay before him, its sandstone rocks glowing fiery red in the midday sun. But from his vantage point, he could see far beyond the lifeless landscape. A world awaited for him out there, a world writhing with greed and corruption, waiting to be conquered. His time was about to come.

 _I can't let my emotions get the best of me now, not when things are finally starting to fall together. That woman, she is nothing more than another pawn in my grand scheme. Now that I have managed to capture that pokemon, I am not going to let anyone thwart my plans, my plans to rule the world._

Giovanni chuckled as he stroked Persian's fur, the ominous sound of his laughter filling the entire room.

* * *

"No, Dad! What are you doing?" Steven couldn't believe his eyes. His Metagross was hooked onto a giant steel helmet. Two long steel antennas stuck out of the helmet with round yellow orbs at their ends and long wires were running from the helmet to a computer with a giant screen. The computer was running some sort of data collection program. Steven's father stood at one side, rubbing his hands guiltily. "How many times have I told you? You can't use my pokemon for your experiments!"

"Now, now Steven! No need to be so angry. I was just trying to measure Metagross's psychic powers. I think I may have an idea for a amazing new device." His father, Joseph, tried to pacify him.

"That's what you said last time dad before you almost burned down my garage and my Cradily along with it. Now please get that contraption off of my Metagross." Steven said striding over to his pokemon.

"But Steven! If you just listened to my idea … ." Joseph pleaded but Steven was already unhooking the helmet off of his Metagross.

"Dad, why don't you go and freshen up. Lunch is almost ready. I will clear up here," he interjected his father firmly.

For a moment, he thought his father would argue. He hoped not. Steven was in no mood to start another fruitless argument with his father. But then Joseph hung his head and departed.

Stephen looked around and sighed. The entire room was filled with odd instruments, devices and contraptions. … His father had been busy. The problem was none of his devices actually worked and most may actually be a fire hazard, given their tendency to blow spontaneously.

 _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to ask my father to come live with me. But I don't know what else to do. He is certainly not in a condition to take care of himself._

His father had been forced out of his own company, Devon Corporation, about a month ago over some disagreement with their majority shareholder, Bullet International. The official term had been early retirement but everyone knew he had been fired.

His company had been his life. He had built it from the ground up, making it the largest maker of gadgets and electronic devices in the world. From what Steven knew, his company had been working on some brand new idea for a gadget for pokemon trainers. The project was consuming a lot of their funds but his father had refused to give it up. He took loans from banks to finish the project but even those had not been sufficient. Burdened with debts and with all of the company's profits going into the research for the new gadget, the company had almost reached the point of bankruptcy. To save the company and his employees' jobs, his father had gone into a partnership with an international financial corporation from Kanto called Bullet International. They had promised to fund the entire project if they were made the majority shareholders of the Devon Corporation. Joseph was forced to agree to their terms. Steven never knew what happened with the project. All he knew was that the project was eventually shelved and then six months later his father was forced to retire.

Ever since then, his father had just not been quite the same. When Steven had visited him last week, he had found him in his home lab burning with fever, delirious and muttering something about saving the world. There had been no food or drink in the house and it seemed like he had not taken shower for days and had even taken to sleeping in his lab. That's when Steven had decided to bring his father back home with him. Steven had hoped that by being closer he would be able to better take care of his father but instead of taking it easy, his father had converted Steven's garage into his personal laboratory. He had even started to use Steven's pokemon for his experiments. He knew his father wouldn't intentionally hurt his pokemon but his devices had a knack of exploding without warning.

His face tightened at the memory of his last argument with dad on that topic.

 _"Dad, the entire point of bringing you home with me was that you could relax. I understand that you didn't want to retire but now you have. You have been running that company all your life, disregarding everything else. Don't you think it's time to take it easy and give some time to yourself?"_

 _"But Steven this all I have ever done. I wouldn't know what else to do with myself. Inventing things makes me happy. Besides I need to correct my mistakes."_

 _"You keep saying you need to correct some mistake. But you are not ready to tell me what mistake you made. Is it something do with the company and the project you were working on? Is that the reason why it was shelved."_

 _"Why are you so interested in my company all of a sudden? You are the one who told me you didn't want anything to do with it. Go back to your precious stones."_

 _"I am not interested in the company. I'm just interested in your health and well being. If you tell me what happened, maybe I can help you."_

 _"Hah! You can't help me anymore Steven. You could've if you were still the Champion. But you decided to give that up too. Now you don't have any power or influence. You are a nobody. I will fix this myself."_

And that's how all the conversations with his father about the company ended these days, with his father admonishing him instead for giving up his title.

The problem was he couldn't make his father understand why he had chosen to give up the title of the Champion of the Hoenn region.

He had been thinking about it ever since Lysandre's disastrous attempt to take over Kalos. People abusing pokemon's power for their own selfish ambitions was nothing new. His research into the origins of mega evolution had led him to realize that people have always treated pokemon this way, even though he had hoped that the world was better place now and that they were better than their ancestors had been.

What had shaken his confidence was the fact that he had been more than partially involved in what had happened in Kalos.

His hands curled into fists as he was reminded about Lysandre's treachery.

He couldn't believe he had been so naive. Tricked by Lysandre's idealistic demeanor, he had led them right to the giant green crystal. Nobody actually held him responsible but in his heart, he knew that if it wasn't for his naivety all of it could have been avoided. It was that realization that had started to make him question his judgement and his ability to serve as a Champion.

But, in the end it was the Pokemon League's decision to approve the use of mega gears in official pokemon league matches that cemented his decision. He was convinced that mega gears were dangerous. It took much more than just a keystone and a mega stone for mega evolution to occur. His research had shown him that during mega evolution, the onerous of controlling the mega evolution energy, the energy which gave the mega pokemon their special powers, is both on the trainer and the pokemon. It required complete and unwavering trust and understanding between the trainer and his pokemon, the type of trust and understanding which can only be developed through years of training. Otherwise it could be very dangerous for both of them. Mega gear's makers claimed that the device allowed any pokemon, which can mega evolve, to safely mega evolve without the need for any special training. And although it did seem to work without causing any harm to the trainer or the pokemon, he wasn't fully convinced that eventually it wouldn't prove hazardous for both of them.

He had fought hard to prevent the mega gears from being approved, citing research from many experts. But it had not mattered. The mega gears had already captured the interest of trainers all over the world. People were threatening to start their own league if mega gears were not officially allowed in pokemon matches. The popular opinion was that the pokemon league was in cahoots with the current Champions and the Elite Four members to prevent new trainers from rising up so they can maintain their own positions in the league. These were, of course, all lies perpetuated by the mega gear company, while they had been bribing their way into becoming official sponsors of the league. But it had done the trick. With the fear of losing face and possibility of a major sponsorship, it had not been a very tough decision for the corrupt league officials. Though they maintained that the league was convinced of the safety of the mega gears and that they only allowed it to level the playing field.

Of course he had not been the only one to oppose the mega gears approval. Many Champions, Elite Four members and gym leaders had been on his side. But he had been the face of the resistance and had burned many bridges in being so.

After that, it had not been very for difficult him to go through with his decision. Once he had been proud of being part of an institution such as The Pokemon League. Pokemon were his life. And being the face of an establishment that brought young trainers and pokemon together, to be able to inspire them, to have the power to make a change in their lives, it had been a dream career for him. But the league was corrupted now. It was more focused on saving face and acquiring wealth through sponsorships rather than upholding the values on which it had been formed all those years ago. And trainers of today were more interested on winning battles and titles rather than experiencing the joy of training and understanding their pokemon. So he had decided not to be part of any of it anymore.

Steven unclenched his fists, trying to relax his mind. _There is no point brooding over all of that now. I'm free from the League and their stupid politics and machinations._ However, he couldn't shut the nasty little voice in his head that kept telling him that he was a coward for running away.

Trying to shake the feeling of guilt, he looked down at the papers strewn on the floor. A black leather file was lying at his feet and few of pages had fallen out of it. He picked them up and turned them over. One page contained diagrams of an assembly line. Some other pages had diagrams of different parts of the assembly line while rest had text describing their working. Each page had a watermark which read Project X.

 _These look like a set of blueprints._ _I wonder if this Project X is the same project Dad was working on._

Then a sketch in one of the pages caught his eye. It was the image of two spheres each with different kind of markings on them. One was labelled as keystone and other as mega stone.

 _What in the world? What was Dad trying to do?_

He sat down to read through the pages carefully. As he continued reading, his surprise turned into anger. His father had been trying to design a system to manufacture mega evolution stones!

 _How did he even get this idea? And how could he do this after knowing how I feel about humans meddling with pokemon's powers like this? I have to figure out what was Dad involved in._

Closing the file, Stephen went to confront his father.

* * *

"It's your own fault for biting it, Bibarel! I told you that stone stove was hot!" Reggie admonished his pokemon gently as he applied salve to its gums. Bibarel whimpered in his arms. "It's going to heal soon. But try not to bite anything for a while, ok?"

"Bibarel!"

He ruffled the beaver pokemon's head and put it down. "Now run along, I have a lot of work to do."

He wiped the sweat off his forehead watching the little beaver run across the grassy field in front of his house. It was barely noon but he was already feeling pretty tired. Things had become quite hectic ever since his grandmother had come to live with him. It wasn't easy taking care of her given her condition. He had to be on his tiptoes all the time. But it couldn't be helped. His grandfather used to take care of her. But he had recently passed away, leaving Reggie and Paul as her only living relatives. Between her and the pokemon he was breeding in his farm, he was hardly getting any time to relax.

Of course, his Nana had not always been like this. A proud and stately woman, she had been one of the best pokemon breeders in Sinnoh. He could faintly remember the days when he would visit his grandparents' pokemon farm for the weekend with his parents and his little brother. Those had been the happiest days of his life. His grandmother had loved pokemon. She had been a great pokemon trainer herself in her younger days, making all the way to the finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference. After marrying, she and his grandfather and had decided to become pokemon breeders and started their own pokemon farm. In fact, it was there that Reggie had come to love pokemon. The farm had a plethora of different pokemon and he had loved playing with them and learning about them. His grandmother had encouraged his interest and taught him how to battle. It was there that he had gotten his first pokemon, Starlee.

Even though his grandmother had loved breeding pokemon, battling always remained her first love and she could never say no to a challenge. Her favourite battling partner had been her Alakazam. When the two of them battled together, their minds would merge and they could communicate using their thoughts without saying a word. It was during one such battle that the accident had occurred. A travelling trainer had challenged his grandmother and her Alakazam to a battle. She had been reluctant as Alakazam was getting on in years and had not been feeling well. But Reggie, in his juvenile excitement, had insisted on seeing a battle and her grandmother had relented. The trainer's Slowking had turned out to be stronger than they had imagined. Powerful psychic attacks had clashed together and Alakazam had lost control hitting his grandmother instead. She had remained unconscious for a week after that. When she finally woke up from her coma, Reggie knew something had changed. She was weaker, had trouble speaking and would fall down frequently. But the worst part was that she had lost her ability to communicate psychically with her Alakazam. When she learnt that, she had cried for hours. Even today Reggie had not been able to completely forgive himself for forcing her to battle that day.

Due to his grandmother's condition, his grandfather's entire time had started going into taking care of her and they eventually had to close down their breeding business. Both his grandfather and his parents tried everything they could to help her. One day, they heard about a medical specialist in Unova who specialized in treating mental injuries caused by psychic pokemon attacks. His parents had decided to take Nana to meet this doctor, leaving Reggie and his younger brother Paul in the care of his grandfather. They had been travelling by ship when the disaster had struck. Paul had been too young to remember but Reggie remembered clearly the day when a man had come to their home to tell them the news. He had talked to their grandfather for an hour and when they had emerged from the study he had noticed his grandfather eyes wet with tears. Later that evening, his grandfather had told them that their parents had died in an accident. Fortunately, their grandmother had survived. Few days later Nana returned but the ordeal had done a lot of damage to her already weak mind. She stopped speaking completely and didn't recognize anyone. She would scream in fear at regular things, people and pokemon as if they reminded her of something awful. Reggie couldn't understand why she had become that way and for a long time, had blamed himself for everything that had happened. It was only recently that he came to know that not everything had been his fault.

Grandfather, on his deathbed, had revealed to him the truth of what had actually transpired onboard that ship that day. Since then, every time he thought about what his grandfather had revealed to him, he felt like he would burst with anger.

Reggie took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

 _There is no use being angry now. I have to concentrate on taking care of Nana._

A scream ripped through the air.

 _Nana!_ He thought alarmed as he ran towards his house. _I hope she didn't fall down again._

He rushed into the living room to find his grandmother sitting on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest and shaking like a leaf in the wind. Her snowy white hair, which was tied at the back of her head in a ponytail, was in disarray and her face pale, extenuating the wrinkles.

 _Thank god! She doesn't look hurt!_ "Nana! What is the matter?" He asked gently as he sat down next to her.

Grandfather had mentioned that sometimes she had nightmares and would wake up screaming and shaking in the middle of the night. But she had been watching TV so he wondered what was causing her to be so frightened. He tried to touch her shoulders but she squirmed away from him.

"Nana. It's me. Reggie. Please tell me what is wrong."

"That face! That face!" She whimpered, pointing towards the TV before burying her face in her arms and starting to sob uncontrollably. Reggie looked towards the screen. The channel was showing a pokemon battle.

"Everything is OK Nana. It's just a pokemon battle. You remember how much you used to like pokemon battles don't you?" he said stroking her hair.

She calmed down a little and looked up. Despite her age, she looked like a scared little girl. Reggie smiled, trying to comfort her.

"See there is nothing to be scared of. It's just a program on TV. If you don't want to watch this, I can change the channel to something else."

Suddenly his grandmother eyes went wide with fear and she let out another scream, covering her face again. Surprised, Reggie turned towards the TV and saw a face he recognized very well but had not seen for a few years. His Nana was shaking with fright again. He quickly turned off the TV.

"Nana. It's ok. I turned the TV off. Everything is alright now," he said wrapping her in a hug.

 _Why did Nana get so scared looking at him? After what grandpa told me, I need to find out more about what actually happened on that ship._

* * *

Ash covered his eyes with his arm to shield them from the ash and dust of the explosion. When he could finally see again, he found Infernape lying face down on the ground.

"Infernape, no!" Ash cried but he knew Infernape was done for the day.

"Infernape is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner," declared the referee.

Ash pointed a pokeball towards his unconscious pokemon. "Infernape return."

A flash of white light emerged from the red and white sphere and plucked the fire pokemon off the ground, returning it back inside the ball.

"You did a great job Infernape. Now take a good long rest." Ash said giving the pokeball a grateful smile.

He returned the pokeball back to his belt and plucked out the next one as he scrutinized the black and blue dragon in front of him.

 _That was the second defeat in a row. Man oh man, that Mega Charizard is strong!_

After defeating five of Giselle's pokemon with just four of his, he had thought the match was in the bag. But Mega Charizard was proving to be quite a powerhouse. Still, they had managed to get in a lot of directs attacks, and mega evolved or not, it had to be feeling all the damage. He was confident his next pokemon will definitely bring the dragon down.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We are coming to the last battle of the match." The commentator's voice blasted from the speakers. "We may be about to witness the biggest turnaround in the history of the Indigo League Championship. Coming back from three straight defeats, Gisele and her Mega Charizard are on a roll, defeating two of Ash Ketchum's pokemon in a row. Now both the trainers have only one pokemon left. Will Gisele be able to pull off a hat trick or will Ash's persistence pay off?"

The excitement in the arena was reaching to a fever pitch. The crowd was chanting both Ash's and Gisele's names as they waited for the young Pallet Town trainer to reveal his final pokemon. The next few moves would decide who the winner of the Indigo League Championship was going to be.

 _This is it. I need you to win this for me Charizard!_ He kissed the top of the pokeball and sent it flying. White light erupted from the pokeball, slowing taking a solid shape, transforming into Ash's Charizard. Charizard announced its arrival by stomping its feet and sending jets of scorching flames into the sky and the crowd went wild.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The last match of this year's Indigo Conference is going to be Charizard vs Mega Charizard!" The commentator's excitement matched the mood in the stadium. "A true battle of skill vs the power of Mega Evolution. It doesn't get better than this folks!"

"Let's win this Charizard and show everyone that mega evolution is no substitute for true skill and hard work," Ash shouted. Ash's Charizard roared at his encouragement.

Gisele snickered at Ash. "You seriously can't think that your Charizard can win against my Mega Charizard. This match will be mine."

"Bring it on!" Ash replied, curling his right hand in a fist and the look of determination plastered on his face. _There is no way I'm going to lose this time, there is no way!_

"Oh I will! Charizard use dragon breath," Gisele commanded.

Streams of blue fume erupted from the mouth of the black and blue dragon pokemon.

"Charizard, fly!" Ash shouted in response.

Ash's charizard spread its giant ribbed wings and leapt into the air to avoid the attack.

"Don't let it get away. After it," Gisele shouted. Gisele's charizard shot up into the sky after Ash's charizard. Mega Evolution had not only increased its power substantially, but its speed too. "Keep up with the dragon breath."

Blue fumes were shooting from Gisele's pokemon's mouth in all directions. Ash's Charizard spun around in air dodging the relentless barrage of attacks.

 _Charizard can't keep dodging. We will have to attack._ Ash thought as he fervently looked for an opening to attack the dragon pokemon. He thought he had figured out Giselle's strategy. Just like the previous battle, she was trying to immobilize Charizard with dragon breath so she can finish it with on powerful move. It was a pretty clever idea but Ash was not one to fall for the same trick twice.

"Charizard, fly up and try to get above it," Ash shouted.

The flame pokemon soared straight up, flapping its wings and gaining altitude quickly.

"You are not going to get away from us that easily, Ash." Giselle said. "Charizard, don't lose it and keep up with the dragon breath."

Giselle's charizard raced to catch up with Ash's charizard, firing a constant flow of dragon breath in its direction. The fire pokemon spun around the stream of paralyzing fumes trying to avoid it.

 _Mega Charizard is faster. It will catch up soon._ Ash thought in frustration. _If there was some way to block its view, then we will get a chance to attack._ Suddenly he had an idea. _I hope Charizard can hear me up there._

"Charizard!" He shouted with all his might. "Use fire spin on the dragon breath."

Amazingly, Charizard heard him and responded by spewing a helix of fire directly onto the incoming fumes. As Ash had suspected, the fire spin surrounded the stream of dragon breath and exploded. It knocked the dragon pokemon off balance and hid Ash's pokemon in a thick cloud of black smoke.

"Now, use flamethrower, 70 degrees down and to your left." Ash yelled at the top of his lungs.

At first, Ash thought Charizard hadn't heard his voice. But then, a scorching jet of fire emerged from inside black cloud, hitting the black Charizard squarely on its chest. The dragon pokemon roared in pain, tumbling towards the ground.

"I have got you now." Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Charizard, steel wing and take it all the way!"

The flame pokemon dove down towards the falling mega Charizard, its wings glowing hot white like freshly moulded steel.

"Not so fast Ash." Giselle snarled. "Charizard, recover your balance and use dragon claw."

Giselle's Charizard quickly recovered its composure upon hearing its trainer's command and stationed itself in Charizard's path. Large claws sprouted out its hands, glowing like emerald gemstones. It ducked just before impact, dodging the steel wing attack and then drove its dragon claw into Ash's Charizard's face. This time it was Ash's pokemon who roared in agony as it lost its balance and tumbled through the air.

"I _have_ got you know!" Giselle grinned malevolently.

Ash growled. _If she wants to play rough, I will show her rough._

"Charizard straighten up and go into a dive." Ash commanded. The orange dragon shook its head fiercely trying to recover from the daze of the dragon claw attack. It then spun around and closed its wings, going into a free fall towards the ground.

"Charizard, go after it," Gisele ordered her own pokemon. Following Gisele's command, the black dragon folded its wings and dove after Ash's charizard.

Both Charizard were falling towards the surface at incredible speed now, one tailing the other. The crowd gasped in horror as the the ground closed up on them. Just when it seemed liked both will crash, Ash shouted, "Charizard, now spin and use dragon tail."

Ash's Charizard stretched its wing and flipped its body in mid-air, its tail glowing emerald. The dragon tail struck the incoming charizard the chest. The black dragon howled in pain and flew out of control, crashing into the ground and causing the battlefield to shake and rumble.

"Now's our chance Charizard, use fire spin before it can recover," Ash yelled. Charizard quickly turned to face the fallen mega pokemon and let out a fierce fire spin, surrounding the other in flames.

"Charizard no!" Gisele shout could barely be heard over the noise of the arena.

"A spectacular combination of moves from Ash's Charizard, combining a steep dive with a dragon tail and following it up with a fire spin. Gisele's charizard is down! Could this be it for Gisele and her mega charizard?" The commentator's voice continued over the speakers.

 _That has to do it. There is no way it could recover from that_ , Ash thought. But Ash's celebration of triumph came too soon. He watched in disbelief as the black Charizard struggled to its feet and shook the flames away from its body. _No way!_

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is unbelievable! Despite taking a devastating barrage of attacks, Gisele's Charizard is back on its feet. We are truly seeing the power of mega evolution here."

"Ash! That was an impressive sneak attack," Gisele said. Ash turned towards Giselle. Her face was glowing with a feverish excitement and her lips were curled up in a cunning smile. "But as you can see, my Charizard can handle anything. In fact, all you have done is make my Charizard angry! And when my Charizard gets angry, you better watch out."

Ash looked at Gisele's Charizard again, an expression of horrified amazement spreading across his face. The dark Charizard was standing in a threatening stance. Its wings were spread, its shoulder were hunched and its knees were bent as if it was about to pounce any moment. It was growling unnaturally, baring its fangs like a rabid dog. But what scared Ash the most were its eyes. Its eyes were bloodshot and its pupil dilated. Ash had seen this happen once before but he couldn't remember where.

 _I have to make my move first before it can fully recover._ "Charizard, use steel wing."

Ash's Charizard's wings glowed white once more and it rose up to fly towards Giselle's mega Charizard.

"Now I will show you the true power of mega evolution!" Gisele declared. "Charizard, use dragon breath."

Blue fumes erupted from Gisele's Charizard's mouth again. However, this time the attack seemed much more powerful and almost out of control. The fumes were spreading really fast and in all directions. Ash had never seen a dragon breath attack like that before.

"Charizard, fly! Get out of the way," Ash shouted, but it was too late. Charizard was engulfed by the blue fumes. Unable to keep its wings stretched, it crashed to the ground.

"Now use dragon pulse," Gisele commanded.

Ash watched in horror, as an iridescent beam shot out of the black Charizard's mouth, covering the entire breadth of the arena, and zipped towards his pokemon.

"Charizard, you have got to get out of the way now!" Ash's alarm was evident in his outcry. But it was useless. Charizard was completely paralyzed and unable to move.

The pulse exploded upon hitting Charizard sending a giant plume of dust and smoke into the sky. The whole arena trembled and the LED screens went static. Over the sound of the explosion, Ash's voice could barely be heard as he cried out for his pokemon.

* * *

At one corner of the stadium, in between the spectator stands, a short figure stood at the mouth of the exit tunnel observing the battle from the shadows. Despite the mid-summer heat, the figure was wearing a full length dark gray wooly cloak. Wrinkled hands peaked out of the cloaks opening and were wrapped around the head of a gnarled wooden walking stick which the figure was using to support itself. The hood of the cloak covered the head and the face was hidden in shadows. However, if you looked carefully, you could tell it was a woman.

She watched the raven haired boy rush across the battlefield towards his fallen pokemon even as the referee announced his opponent as the winner of the match. The stadium erupted in cheers and applause. Unable to stand the deafening racket, she turned around and started hobbling towards the exit at the other end of the tunnel, the bottom of her walking stick clicking on the cemented floor below. Soon she was merely a black speck in the light shimmering through the end of the tunnel.


End file.
